I blog about my jewelry inspirations. Readers will find that various elements of nature are my inspirations. Of course, I include jewelry making tips. This blog also includes some of my favorite Etsy shops, bead shops and jewelry customers.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

There is no greater inspiration than nature, and November’s Art Jewelry Element components were inspired by lichens. They were made by Caroline Dewison of Blueberribeads. Caroline said, "I love to walk in the local woods, finding these little treasures on the bark of the trees. They make me think of tiny little worlds."

November AJE Lichen Components

These components are made from earthenware clay and have been colored with a combination of her own recipe glazes. Two components were given away this month. Nicole Prince and I are the lucky winners. I have to add that when my component arrived from the UK, I was stunned at how beautiful it was. The photo doesn't do it justice. The focal looks like it has pools of water sitting in it. The colors have an iridescence to them.

As soon as I saw the lichen, I knew exactly what beads I was going to use. I had squirreled away a strand of biwa freshwater pearls that I got from the House of Gems awhile back, They have the same blue, purple, gold iridescent colors as the focal. I knew I had to save these gorgeous pearls for something special and this focal qualifies, I made sterling silver links and clasp for this special necklace. I love it and intend to keep it for myself!

Here's the blog roll - enjoy! I can't wait to see what everyone did with this beauty.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Once a monthErin Prais-Hintz selects an inspiration piece for she and her partner to use with Halcraft beads. This month I am her lucky partner.

This inspiration piece is Îles d’Or(Islands of Gold) by Impressionist painter Henri-Edmond Cross.Îles d’Orare four islands off the southeastern French coast that must be magical. Legend says that the gods turned swimming princesses into the Îles d’Hyères. These islands are laden with mica-rich rock that glitters and gleams in the bright sunlight. At first glance it appears that the painting is just a simplistic color gradation. Upon further inspection, you can see the mountains of the isles in the distance, and notice the shimmering golden waves.

November's Halcraft beads

Erin Prais-Hintz selected Halcraft beads that are a cross-section of the colors in the painting. She also picked beads with a similar shape.

Beads (l to r):59338 – Citrine chips semi precious83951 – Gold luster hematite stone90434 – Howlite chips dyed stone97709 – Turquoise dyed howlite cube stone55318 – Shell nugget aqua 7mm93347 – Chinese yellow quartzite aqua stone93818 – Abalone nugget 30-40mm shell (we each get one)Our Pretty Palette for November took me away on a vacation of mind, body and spirit to my winter home in the Florida Key. I was inspired by this seascape inspiration with turquoise water and it reminded me of the blue water in the Keys. For my first necklace, I used the beautiful abalone nugget as the focal. I then selected beads that have a soothing natural color palette to go with the focal. I used almost the entire strand of turquoise howlite chips dyed stone and the aqua stones from aqua stone Chinese yellow quartzite strand along with the gold luster hematite stone. I absolutely love the gold luster hematite. I think that these beads are just gorgeous together. I found some sari ribbon that had similar colors to pull everything to together in this multi strand necklace. It is available for purchase HERE.

The second piece that I created captures the beauty of the seaside landscape. The seaside landscape that I used as my inspiration is this beautiful ceramic bead by UK artisan Lesley Watt. I love red, white, and blue so I used those 3 colors with the ceramic. I used the blue stones from Chinese yellow quartzite aqua stone strand, white beads with specks of blue from my stash, and red Irish waxed linen thread. I made a sterling silver clasp with similar angles as the sail. If you would like to purchase this necklace, it is available HERE.

I love to make earrings so I had to include a pair. These starfish earrings use the semi precious citrine chips. These starfish earrings are made from natural brass sheets that have been embossed with a starfish pattern. The earrings are hand painted also with yellow, blue and green patinas to create this beach jewelry. I used citrine chips to mimic the sand on the beach. The metal has a protective coating to keep the color vivid for years to come! I have hung them on brass ear wires.

Stop by Erin's blog to see what she the gorgeous necklace she created with these same beads. Erin thank you for inviting me to be your partner and for selecting such gorgeous beads and inspiration for me.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Autumn flowers by Marguerite Zorach is the Art Bead Scene inspiration piece for November, 2015. The colors are bright and fresh just as autumn days. This piece reminds me that autumn is filled with clear, crisp bright colors. Just look at the autumn sky and changing colors of the leaves!

The color palette of this month's inspiration is a mix of muddy, tertiary colors. It offers the pop of teal, cornflower blue, olive green and wonderful rusty oranges.

I selected a handmade component by artisan Heather Powers of Humblebeads with the oranges, olive greens, and muddy browns and grays, I was drawn to it by the colors and the fox. Jumping fox component has a sly little fox running through a birch forest. I love the muted earthy hues The fox has a special meaning to my daughter and I plan to give it to her for her birthday,

I read the Leather Bracelet with Micro Screws Nuts Tutorial by Powers of Humblebeads on her blog and I decided to give it a try. A real plus in this tutorial is that it lists component and where to locate them. It also has great directions with photos. I did deviate from the tutorial slightly when I used her fox component. It didn't have holes on each end like the bracelet bar in the tutorial. I had to create a loop and connect it to the jump ring and leave enough room to make a messy wrap next to the component. I then ran the wire horizontally through the component and make another loop. I used this loop to attach to the jump ring. Once again I left enough room to make a messy wrap next to the component. Now, that I made the bracelet I have mastered a new skill. Micro screws and nuts make this a no-fail project with very minimal tools and no riveting experience needed! In fact, I had the tools. I just needed to get the leather, E hook clasp, jump rings, micro screw and nuts from Lima Beadshttp://www.limabeads.com/. Now, go on and give this a try. It is easy peasy!

Friday, November 20, 2015

November's We're All Ears challenge honors seed pods. Since the illustrations don't really have much in the way of color, the focus will be on the form of the pods. Their shape is to guide our creations.

Number 5 in the botanical illustration above is the inspiration for the earrings that I created for this challenge.

The ceramic beads by Marsha Neal Studioremind me of the shape of number 5. Since the mauve ceramics are already full of interest with the shape and color, I felt I only needed to add some sterling silver to make them into a pair of modern and minimalist earrings. The pale purple earrings are for sale HERE.What do you think? Did I capture create earrings that are the shape of pods?

Friday, November 13, 2015

Tammy Adams, the Paisley Lizard, is the sponsor of this Superstition Blog Hop held on November, Friday the 13th! Tammy made black cats from polymer clay for all the participants to use. Thank you Tammy! This enables all participants to have fun posting our cat jewelry, adding photos. talking about superstitions, and hoping from post to post.

My grandcat Boo

This is a special blog hop for me because I love cats. I have 3 of my own and 3 grandcats. My daughter has a very cute American Bombay cat named Boo. I love how he looks like a panther.

Boo making himself at home in my living room

Superstitions about black cats originated long time ago and varies from nation to nation. Romans and Egyptians consider cats as sacred animals. Cat is worshiped in India and Israel. In European countries, a cat is not considered as a good animal (especially not black cat). In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches. Most of Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death. In the United Kingdom it is commonly considered that a black cat crossing a person's path is a good omen.

Since I have positive feelings for black cats, I gave my polymer cat a whimsical look. This whimsical black and gray cat necklace has a sterling silver fish suspended from rectangular black beads and black cord with silver accent beads. The whimsical look of the cat necklace is completed with a silver cat and tail toggle clasp. The cat lover necklace has a modern and minimalist look to it. Any cat lover or owner of a cat would love this piece of cat jewelry. The cat necklace is 20 inches around and is available for sale HERE.

I made another cat necklace that will make a special Christmas gift for my daughter. The black ceramic cat pendant is suspended from a rustic handmade copper ring on a lightweight but strong copper colored chain. I added some square Czech glass beads, round golden brown beads added some sparkly beads to them and strung them on copper wire that matches the coppery colored chain. The chain necklace closes with a copper clasp. This piece of black cat jewelry has a modern and minimalist look to it also. Since she loves cats and has a black cat I think she will love it.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Gallery at Print & Promo Coast 2 Coast will be hosting a one day only holiday shopping event on November 14 from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m.. This is a unique collaboration of local artists to give you an enjoyable holiday shopping experience. Allow yourself the time to slow down and wander through the shop to find gifts of all kind. It will be a delightful place to get swept up in the spirit of the holidays. Wonderful refreshments will be served throughout the day!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Andrew Thornton sponsored this Last Harvest Challenge. He put together 30 kits and challenged jewelry designers to use as much or as little of the kit to create a piece that showcases creativity, individuality, and artistic expression. Ideally the creations will spotlight the great assortment of beads included in the kit. It's a celebration of the Last Harvest before the cold of winter sets in.

I created this long 27 inchfloral necklace for those who love earthy fall colors. I selected a dark rose and cream floral ceramic focal by Suburban Girl Studio and paired it with dark rose, peach, and a neutral brown colors. For the metal, I used copper because of the peach color it has. I used green green Irish waxed linen thread to literally tie everything together along with brown sari ribbon that has a hint of some of the green and peach colors. I made a copper clasp for this one of a kind necklace. This boho necklace has an earthy and rustic appearance and reminds me of the fading colors of fall. The necklace is available for purchase HERE.

I made this angel wing necklace with a few of the carnelian beads from the kit and some orange agate from my stash. I added a natural brass chain, beautiful orange agate and seed beads. The beautiful bird or angel wing is ceramic and is created by artisan Blueberribeads. This green bird feather has been hand carved from earthenware clay and colored with a tea green glaze. The orange and brown angel wing necklace is 19 inches around and the wing hangs down further about 2.3 inches in length. The colors are perfect for the fall and the necklace is available.